President Donald Trump vowed “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus.
“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” Trump tweeted late Monday.
In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020
He’s shutting the doors on immigration entirely by way of an executive order.
Democrats reacted quickly with anger, including Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“I don’t think we should be lost in diversions,” Schumer said during a virtual appearance on CNN, “that have little to do with getting the testing and the opening of America that we need.”
On @realDonaldTrump's proposal to temporarily suspend immigration into the US, @SenSchumer calls it "another diversion."
"The agencies don't even know what it is. No one knows what it is." pic.twitter.com/aEQvYpTKl8
— Alli Hedges Maser (@AllisonLHedges) April 21, 2020
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Trump a “Xenophobe. In. Chief,” in a tweet.
Xenophobe. In. Chief. https://t.co/zluqbqG6DQ
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) April 21, 2020
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. joined in, and claimed — without evidence — that the banning of all immigrants will negatively affect health care and food supply.
This is beyond belief.
Immigrants have always made America great. Suspending immigration & giving into racism & xenophobia won’t solve our problems.
Instead it will have a catastrophic impact on our health care, food supply & the systems we are relying upon during this crisis. https://t.co/lM427P0h2S
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) April 21, 2020
Trump has yet to offer details on which immigration programs might be affected by the order.
National security adviser Robert O’Brien on Tuesday cast the president’s announcement as a move to protect the American people’s health. O’Brien said the temporary halt to immigration would not be “dissimilar” to limits on travel to the U.S. from China that Trump put in place in January.
“We’re trying to do everything, the president’s trying to do everything he can to put the health of the American people first during this crisis,” O’Brien said on Fox News Channel. “So this is one step. It’s not dissimilar to the restrictions on travel from China that he implemented back on Jan. 29 at the very outset of this public health crisis.”
O’Brien said the administration believes those travel restrictions saved lives.
Asked about Trump’s reference to jobs, O’Brien referenced the virus’ economic toll.
“There’s been an economic cost here, too, and the president’s looking out for Americans on both fronts at every turn,” he said.
Trump has taken credit for his restrictions on travel to the U.S. from China and hard-hit European countries, arguing the restrictions contributed to slowing the spread of the virus in the U.S. But he has not extended those restrictions to other nations now experiencing virus outbreaks.
Due to the pandemic, almost all visa processing by the State Department, including immigrant visas, had already been suspended for weeks.
Almost 800,000 Americans have come down with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and more than 42,000 have died, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The Associated Press contributed to this article